Poppy and the Beast
by squeaken1
Summary: Branch has always been considered an outsider. All of the trollings made fun of him, some even calling him a beast. But when young Poppy gets caught in a nasty rainstorm, she finds herself trapped in "the beasts' lair". How well will she survive the night? TITLE IS MISLEADING. THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW PLOT FOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.


**THE TITLE IS MISLEADING! THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW THE STORY-LINE OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!  
**

 **A-hem. Anyway, I did it! I've been wanting to write this for a while. I went through it and tried to find as many errors as I could. It took me a few days to finish writing it (and of course my computer decided my os needed to stop working, so I lost some of it and had to rewrite it). I tried to have fun with this, so I hope you enjoy it. I have another one shot I plan on working on...and then (for those of you that read "Creek's Return")...I have a sequel coming out, that I am really excited about. I think I basically wrote it in bullet point form on my phone. Haha! So, enjoy this little thing that I wrote. I'm sure you can tell which parts I struggled with. Enjoy!**

* * *

Laughter filled the air as a group of trollings, known as the Snack Pack, kicked ball around in the mud with the young Princess Poppy. They passed it back and forth, shoving each other in order to get a turn to strike the ball with all their might. The ball sparkled in the little sunlight that glimmered through the overhanging clouds as it rolled through the field. Guy Diamond, the glitter troll of the group, shed glitter each time his foot made impact with the ball. With a forceful kick, Guy Diamond sent the ball soaring in the air, far above the other trollings and through the brush.

"Awww," all the trollings cried in unison.

"Now you've done it," a reddish troll known as DJ Suki whined. "Now we'll never find our ball…"

"Don't worry," Creek reassured, placing a hand on Suki's shoulder. "There's eight of us, so I'm sure one of us can find it."

Suki smiled. "Let's go find our ball!"

With that said, the eight little trollings charged into the brush, each turning in a different direction. Cooper and Biggie, being the tallest of the group, searched the trees and higher areas that the others could not reach. Fuzzbert ran through the bushes in hopes that he would eventually find and kick the ball accidentally into view. His body was entirely covered in hair, which made everyone wonder how he could see past the mop of hair that was his body, never mind through the bushes. As for Smidge, the smallest of the group, she used her enormous strength to lift logs or rocks, to see if the ball had rolled underneath something. Poppy and Creek wandered around, looking behind the plant life on the ground. The young DJ frantically tried to get the glitter troll to join Poppy and Creek on their search methods – instead he was using his magical farts to decorate the rocks with glitter, asking them if they've seen the ball. As for the Fashion Twins, they used their attached hair to wrap themselves around some of the larger plants and climb them to get as much of an aerial view as possible.

"Hey, guys, over here!" Poppy hollered, waving everyone over. The group scrambled to her location, gasping as they saw where the ball had landed. It nestled itself on a small, rectangular door mat with the words "Go Away!" painted on it. Behind, a large bolder towered itself over the ball, casting its dark shadow eerily.

"What?" Poppy tilted her head to the side, staring at her gasping friends with a look of confusion painted on her face.

"D-do you know who lives over there?" Biggie asked, squeezing his baby worm in his arms.

Poppy pondered for a moment. "Doesn't that gray troll live out here?"

The snack pack all nodded in unison, huddled together.

"What's so scary about him?" Poppy asked, keeping her confused composure.

"He can be a bit of a beast," Creek piped up.

"A beast?"

"He's grumpy," Suki began to describe.

"He's mean," Guy Diamond continued.

"He's so sarcastic," Biggie squealed.

"And he hates all of us," Satin and Chenille, the Fashion Twins, concluded in unison.

"Only a brave trolling would go near his home," Creek added, hugging himself.

"Well, I'm brave," Poppy proclaimed, jabbing her thumb into her chest. "I'm going after it!" With great determination in her steps, she marched on over to the door mat. Once she reached the ball, she reached down to scoop it up.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she heard the voice of the gray troll dryly ask.

Glancing up from her bent-over position, a small smile tugged against her cheeks. "Hi, Beast! Do you wanna come play ball with us?" she asked in her bubbly voice.

The gray troll was taken aback. He stared at the smaller, pink troll before him. Did she really just call him a beast? Furrowing his brow, and his mouth ajar, the gray troll kept a firm, yet puzzled gaze at her. After a moment of an awkward silence drifting between the two, the gray troll spat, "No!" He snatched her ball, throwing it as hard as he could further into the brush. "Go play fetch, _princess_."

Tears swelled in the pink troll's eyes, her lip quivering ever so slightly. "Wh-why are you so mean?" she hiccupped.

The gray troll scoffed. "Why are you still here?"

"Leave Princess Poppy alone!" Suki growled through her teeth, rushing to the pink troll's side.

"Leave her alone?! She's the one that came here," the gray troll snapped, crossing his arms.

"Th-that's no way to speak to Poppy," Biggie bravely piped up, still snuggling his face into his pet for comfort.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the gray troll said in a much warmer voice. "Go away!" His voice became much darker as he snarled his last two words.

Suki stuck out her tongue at the gray troll as she walked Poppy pack towards the group. "You really are a beast," she spat back at him as the group began to wander away. Poppy held her friend for comfort, sobbing into her shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, the gray troll pushed himself through the brush. He didn't have time to argue with some of the younger trollings – he had much more important business to attend to. Taking a deep breath, the gray troll began his search for more supplies for his small bunker.

The Snack Pack had spent their afternoon comforting the little princess. She couldn't explain why the Beast's words hurt her so much. Her mind told her to stop crying, but her heart wouldn't allow her. She had never met a troll so cruel before. Was something wrong with him? Did he need a hug? She just couldn't comprehend the phenomenon. The advice from her friends was just to forget about him, since he didn't want anything to do with any of the other trolls. She knew they were trying to help, but she just wasn't sure if that was the best advice.

"Don't worry, Poppy," Creek reassured her, booping her on the nose.

"He's just a meanie," Biggie added.

"Don't let it bother you," Smidge said.

Fuzzbert hopped around as made a series of muffled sounds that the rest of the Snack Pack seemed to understand.

Eventually, the Snack Pack convinced the young princess to just bury this as a bad memory and to continue on with her life. There was no need to focus on this small, negative moment when there was so much sunshine and rainbow moments to surround herself with.

After a few more hours of playing, the group parted ways, heading back to their parents in their pods. Poppy, however, took the adventurous way back. Hopping in mud puddles, she paid no attention to the dreary clouds hanging above. As she bounced around, singing to herself, the clouds quickly grew darker and darker. They pulled themselves together with a menacing gaze, until finally, they began to leak away their heavy sorrows. It started with one drip after another, quickly becoming a downpour that drenched the little princess.

"Oh no," she whimpered, hugging herself. "I've got to make it back home."

She squinted her eyes, trying to see through the heavy raindrops. They came down like small bombs, overcoming everything in their path. Shivering as she moved, the pink troll attempted to wade through the water. The ground was beginning to blanket itself in a clear pool, drowning her ankles in the liquid.

"Is anyone out there?!" she bellowed out, hugging herself as tight as her little arms could. No one answered her call, to her disappointment. The water was getting higher, pushing her hard against the chest. She tried to keep balance, but her tiny body wasn't strong enough. The wind began to pick up, creating small waves that knocked her over. She was swept away in the small current, unable to bring herself into a standing position. She screamed for help, hoping a troll would be able to hear her.

As she continued the move rapidly through the water, she found herself being pulled towards a large surface. She couldn't quite make out what it was. Her eyes squinted once more, only to make impact with it moments later. With a loud smack, her face was crushed by its hard exterior. The world around her began to turn black, just as she saw an arm reach out to her, tugging her by the hair.

* * *

The ground felt slightly chilled, but the air around her was warm. Slowly pealing her eyes open, Poppy pulled herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes, letting out a small yawn. Where was she? Widening her eyes, the young trolling glanced around the room, taking in every last detail. Before her laid a small fireplace, a pot of boiling water resting just above it. Surrounding her she found small mushrooms, serving for what she assumed to be chairs. Shelves covered every inch of the walls, each section stocked full of building materials and food.

Draped around her shoulders was a very patchy blanket. She began to stare at it as she rubbed the material between her finger tips. This was not the work of the Fashion Twins, that's for sure.

"Smooth moves out there," she heard a familiar voice utter.

Poppy turned around, only to find the gray troll leaning against the far wall. He had a small smirk plastered onto his face, his arms crossed. Was this her rescuer? Really? Maybe he really wasn't all that bad, after all.

"Hey, Beast," Poppy chimed, a smile curling on her lips.

"Would you stop calling me that?!" the gray troll snarled. "I have a name, you know!"

The small princess cocked her head. "What is it?"

"Branch," he muttered, making a heavy sigh.

"Okay, Branch!" she chirped with a smile, her hug time bracelet making a loud popping sound shortly after. Without thought, she lunged herself at the gray troll, coiling her arms around his lower waist. A soft humming sound escaped her lips as she held him in her embrace.

Branch winced on contact, prying her off as soon as he could. With a small shove, she had released him and fell onto her rump. Without warning, the small princess began to cry. Branch rolled his eyes. "Stop the water works," he groaned, dramatically throwing his head back. "I just don't like hugs."

Wiping her tears away, she eyed the gray troll carefully. "Don't like hugs? But you're a troll. We all hug."

"Well, not me," he scoffed. "And I don't sing, don't dance, and I don't stay out in a _rain storm_ "

Poppy frowned. She watched as Branch moved across the room, snatching a cup from a nearby shelf. He opened a jar on a shelf adjacent to it and removed some tea leaves from it, tossing them into the cup. He then crossed over to the boiling pot, scooping up some water with a ladle and pouring it into the cup. Quickly, he turned to the princess and shoved the cup into her hands.

"Drink this when it cools; it'll make you feel better." He didn't even look at her as he softly spoke. Instead, he gazed off into a void, his mind lost in thought. Was he really a beast like all the other trollings had said? He couldn't control his emotions, which usually left someone in tears. And when a troll tried to involve him in what should have been a normal troll activity, he cringed at the idea. Was he even a troll anymore? Branch could feel a small tear breaking away from his eyelid, streaming down his face as it did so.

Silently observing, the small princess caught sight of the shedding tear. She had a great urge to pull him into another embrace, but she knew better than that. If only there was something she could do for him. He seemed so sad – maybe that's why he was so angry all the time! He was angry because he was sad! That had to be it, the princess thought. All she had to do was bring out his happiness, and he would be all better!

"Branch, would you want to do stuff with me and the Snack Pack when it stops raining?" she offered with a smile.

Escaping his thoughts, Branch turned towards Poppy. "The _Snack Pack_?" he said dryly.

"Yeah, that's what I call my group of bestest friends!" she gleamed.

"So, what, are they called 'the Snack Pack' because they're gonna be the first to get snacked on when the bergens show up?"

Poppy grew silent for a moment. "Don't be silly, my daddy got us away from the bergens two years ago!"

Branch just sighed, shaking his head. The bergens were their greatest predator. They may have escaped the clutches of the towering beasts, but it was only a matter of time before they were found. As future queen of the trolls, she should've been concerned about this. Maybe her father, the king, didn't want her to worry about this? After all, she was only four years old. He could understand that King Peppy wouldn't want to scare her. However, she had to know the truth. Bergens were a threat, and she needed to be prepared.

"The bergens could always find us," Branch warned. "We're small, not invisible."

"But my daddy said that we're far away from the bergens. It would take them _forever_ to find us!" Poppy threw her hands in the air dramatically, accidentally spilling some of her tea. "Whoops."

Branch groaned, pinching his temples. "Just drink your tea."

The pink troll began to swallow the rest of her drink, gulping loud as she did so. After her cup was emptied, she placed it on the ground next to her, letting out a great big yawn. Tightly cocooning herself in the patchy blanket, Poppy turned to Branch. "Where are your parents?" she yawned. "Are they gray like you? I bet they're nice. My daddy's nice."

"Ugh, do you ever stop talking?!" Branch moaned, avoiding the questions.

"Sometimes," she managed to slip out through her yawns. "Do you have a bed? I'm sleepy…" Her voice trailed off as she sat there with a daze in her eyes. Branch could tell her body was about to collapse.

"No," he answered, letting out a yawn himself. "Stop yawning. You're making me tired."

She watched as he moved to the back of the room again, climbing into a hammock that was hidden in the shadows. He threw his arms behind his head, shutting his eyes as he began to drift into a dream. Poppy crawled across the floor, still clutching her blanket. Once she reached the hammock, she rose in place. Her eyes were just high enough to peek over at Branch's now sleeping face. A small snore escaped his lips as she watched him, causing her to giggle silently to herself. With nowhere else to sleep, the pink troll carefully climbed in the hammock, stumbling a couple of times as she did so. To her surprise, Branch had not awoken from his slumber. He just laid there, snoring softly to himself.

The pink troll wondered if he even had parents. He avoided the question earlier, but she wasn't sure if he just got side-tracked from her tea-spilling incident. The mere idea of him being alone sagged her heart, bringing a frown to her face. Everybody needed someone, but this gray troll, who was known as a beast by the other trollings, seemed to be alone. This wouldn't do. If she were to be queen someday, she needed to make sure all of troll-kind was happy.

She leaned back, placing her head against Branch's arm. Her eyes stared at the rocky ceiling as she continued to think. How could she make the grumpy troll happy? Everyone deserved to be happy. Before her thoughts could wander further, she drifted into a deep sleep, coiled up next to the beast.

* * *

Pealing his eyelids open, Branch began to stretch out his arms – or tried to. One of them was held captive by another body: Poppy's. He let out a small squeal, leaping backwards off of his hammock. Just as quickly as he had leapt, the hammock began to swing around, throwing the small princess in the air. A scream escaped her lips, just as she began to bounce against the ground. Turning towards Branch, her eyes began to swell. She stood up, rubbing her rump with her hands.

"B-Branch. Why did you scream?" she whined.

"Get out of my bunker!" he shouted, pointing towards the exit.

"B-but…"

"Get out!" Branch marched over to the princess, scooping her in his arms. He dragged her towards a narrow hallway, dropping her as he reached the end. Using both hands, he pushed against the ceiling, opening a secret hatch. He then picked up Poppy once again and threw her out. "Go away!" he snarled, slamming the mat shut.

Poppy sat in the mud, bewildered. What just happened? He saved her life, took care of her, and then threw her out like garbage. Did she do something wrong?

"Poppy! There you are!" she heard her father exclaim from the other side of the field. He frantically dashed over to her, his cape flowing in the wind. With his arms stretched out, he scooped her up into a tight hug, his heart easing. "I was so worried about you! I thought the rain swept you away from us!"

Poppy shook her head. "Nope, Branch saved me."

"Branch?" he questioned softly, turning towards the bunker.

"Yeah, he got me out of the water, and gave me tea, and gave me a blanket-," she stopped, thinking about what her next few words would've been. _And then he kicked me out_ , she thought.

King Peppy smiled. "Sounds like you had quite an adventure," he said. "Let's get you home and clean you up." Poppy eyed the bunker as her father carried her away from it. _Branch needed a party_ , she thought to herself. Those made her extra happy. It was bound to cheer him up. She would never forget to invite him to a party. Ever.

Over the course of the next week, Poppy had worked really hard on invitations for her upcoming birthday, especially the one addressed for Branch. She wanted to make his extra special, so he would feel the happiness pouring out. They may have not been the most perfectly made cards, but she felt Branch would appreciate it – along with the other trolls of course.

When her tiny fingers had finally finished placing the finishing touches, she stood back to admire her work. Felt, plenty of glitter, and globs of glue were scattered all over the place. She picked up the one for Branch, stroking the small gray blob that represented him. She really hoped he would go to her party.

The following day, Poppy skipped through the village, handing out cards to every troll she passed. She was greeted with smiling faces and plenty of 'thank you's. Of course, she knew they would all attend her party – she was the princess, after all. But then she made her last stop, staring at the door mat that read 'Go Away!' Swallowing hard, Poppy banged her fist against the large rock in front of her.

"Branch!" she exclaimed once, waiting patiently.

No answer.

She waited for what seemed like five minutes before knocking again. "Branch!" she repeated again.

Still, no response.

This process repeated itself a few times. Before she knew it, she was pounding on the rock once per second, screaming his name over and over again. "Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch! Branch!"

"What?!" his voice hissed from behind her, making her jump in surprise.

She whipped her head around, forcing a smile as fast as possible. She didn't want him to know he had frightened her. "I've got something for you!" she chirped, holding out her invitation to him as close to his face as possible.

His mouth ajar and his eyes narrowed, Branch snatched the invitation away from her, examining it. A crudely cut out version of himself sat on the cover, wearing a party hat. Bold letters were placed above, reading: _You're Invited_. Around the cover, plenty of what he thought to be balloons, streamers, and presents filled up the negative space. Unsure of what to think, he opened up the card, glitter firing out into his face like a bomb. His face was caked in glitter, barely able to see past what stuck to his eyelashes.

Branch didn't even bother to read what the inside said. He ripped it in half, tossing it onto the ground. Grumbling, he wiped a hand across his face, clearing his eyesight. "No!" he growled through his teeth. "I don't party."

"But…it's my birthday," Poppy mumbled. "Everyone's going…"

"Well, I'm not!" Branch popped open the mat, diving into his bunker. Before he closed himself in, he rolled his eyes at the sulking princess. "You don't need a beast going to your party, anyway," he mumbled. He then slammed the mat shut.

Forgetting about her invitation, Poppy glumly shuffled away. After all that effort she put into it, he still didn't accept it. Was it not pretty enough? Wiping her nose, the pink troll tried to fill herself with more positive thoughts. She wouldn't give up. One day, Branch _had_ to accept her invite. And when that day came, she would make him the happiest troll in the village. She was determined to make it happen. No one deserved to be sad, not even a gray troll.

When she had finally left, Branch poked his head out of his bunker. Quietly, he moved out, snatching the destroyed invitation, launching himself back inside as fast as possible. No one had ever invited him to anything before. They usually didn't enjoy his company. Was she just trying to be nice, or did she actually want to be around him? Did she really like him, despite how unlikable he was? Branch wasn't sure why, but the thought of the princess began to give him butterflies. He tried to shake the feeling off, but his heart still fluttered at the thought of her.

Now having moved into better lighting, Branch looked at the inside of the card. It had plenty of glitter, along with a picture made of felt. It was an image of Poppy and Branch, along with a few other trollings, sitting on top of a large present. It almost looked like Poppy and Branch were holding hands, but he wasn't sure if it was just poor craftsmanship. It was a crudely made felt picture, after all. Above them was a message that read: _to my Birthday Party Tonight!_

It was her birthday? Branch felt a little bad about yelling at her, but he did not want to go. He hated parties, hugs, singing, and dancing. There was also the simple fact that he wasn't wanted at the party, with the exception of Poppy. She wanted him there. Smiling slightly, Branch placed the damaged card on a nearby shelf. He was wanted. She _cared_.

"I'll protect you, Poppy," he mumbled to himself, staring at the card. "If there's bergens out there waiting to eat us, I'll let you know right away so you can get away again. I'm not letting a bergen eat anyone else…"


End file.
